Hollow & Human
by DoctorWhoXX
Summary: This is just a brief, 4 chapter thing that I needed to get out, about how I feel the fight against Ulquiorra could've been improved. It stars my own OC, who, while not replacing Ichigo throughout the entire story, is replacing him in this fight. The first chapter is all the things about my OC that would have been revealed prior to this moment. I don't own Bleach, that's Tite Kubo.
1. Character Profile

Name: Yūrei Yume.

-Age: 16 (Pre Time-Skip), 18 (Post Time-Skip).

-Series: Bleach.

-Occupation: Student at Karakura High School.

-Voice Actor: Tony Oliver.

-Appearance;

*Hair: Dark purple, slightly curled, and neck length.

*Eyes: Purple.

*Skin: Slightly pale, but not deathly.

*Height: 5'10".

*Body: Lean and muscular, yet slightly malnourished.

*Reference: Lau, Black Butler.

-Clothing;

*Human: When not wearing the Karakura High School uniform, Yūrei often wears a mix of formal/casual purple and grey clothing.

*Soul Reaper: Rather than a typical Shihakusho, Yūrei instead wears a dark purple set of Chinese robes, with silver thorn designs throughout it.

-Personality;

*Casual: Patient, calm, focused, quiet, and sarcastic.

*Combat: Brutal, quiet, patient, adaptable, calm, and subtle.

-Likes: Challenges, patience, learning, autumn, Orihime's cooking, books, games, and training.

-Dislikes: Impatience, stupidity, ignorance, arrogance, summer, and pointless violence.

-Zanpakutō;

*Sealed: An 80cm Wakizashi, with a purple handle, and a silver hexagonal guard, that has a pair of indentations on either side of the blade.

*Name: Izanami.

*Release;

+Command: Whisper.

+Stance: Yūrei usually holds his Zanpakutō to his side, pointing down, as he calls out her name.

*Type: Poison/Kīdo Type Zanpakutō.

*Focus: Simply put, Yūrei's Zanpakutō allows him to control, and resist, anything that causes death. This allows him to use different elements, something that should be impossible for any Zanpakutō.

*Spirit:

*Inner World: Unsurprisingly, Yūrei's Inner World consists of a large graveyard, with purple grass, and silver gravestones. Furthermore, the graveyard is in a forest, populated by silver trees with purple leaves. There is also a constant night sky, filled with stars.

-Shikai;

*Appearance;

+Weaponry: Izanami's Shikai changes are twofold. Firstly, Yūrei's Zanpakutō becomes a 4ft/122cm hollow blade with an opening at the top, designed for both slashing and thrusting, with a slightly thicker, tilted, purple handle that is 10 inches long, and a pair of silver ribbons on the end, reaching 30cm long. The blade changes from metal, to a pale white, bone-like material. Furthermore, there are fang-like protrusions on both sides of the blades

+Equipment: A pair of purple and silver gauntlets appear on Yūrei's arms, along with a pair of two belts on his waist. Both the gauntlets and the belts are filled with bone-like needles, with hollow centers, and purple coverings.

*Hollowfication;

+Appearance: Yūrei's Hollow mask is rather flat, running along the curve of his face. Design-wise, it resembles a comedy mask, with down-turned eyes, and a rather creepy smile. Furthermore, there are purple designs running from the top to the bottom. Finally, his change color. However, unlike other Vizards, whose sclera become black with yellow irises, Yūrei's eyes become purple, with silver irises.

+Time Limit: Yūrei's time limit for Hollowfication is 20 minutes, with repairs to his mask cutting this time down. Small cracks reduced the limit by 1 second, while repairing large sections of his mask ate away 5 minutes.

+Abilities;

/Cero: One of the only Vizards capable of using a Cero, along with Shinji, Hiyori, and Mashiro, Yūrei's is purple in color, and is incredibly fast, while retaining much of its power. Many of his opponents state that it feels like a Cero combined with both Hollow and Soul Reaper energy, along with something else.

/Enhanced Physicality & Senses: The most useful ability of his Hollowfication, Yūrei's speed is drastically improved, able to overwhelm even Ulquiorra, in his maneuverability. Furthermore, he is much more durable than before, taking hits that break stone with little injury.


	2. Part 1

**A/N: This is the action scene that I have wanted to write since I first considered a Bleach story. I hope you enjoy it. I've kept this part mostly the same, as it has the most interference from multiple characters.**

 _ **Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

 _ **Hollow and Human, Part 1**_

 **{OST 1 # 15; Catch 22}**

 **CLANG**

 **BOOM**

Yūrei ducked under Ulquiorra's blade, narrowing his eyes at the small strands of purple hair the Espada had cut away, before retaliating with a slash of his own. Ulquiorra easily jumped over the blade and swung down at Yūrei. The Human-turned-Soul Reaper deflected the blade away with Izanami, the hollow blade catching Ulquiorra's Zanpakūto, and, with a flick of his wrist, Yūrei pulled it out of the Arrancar's hands. Ulquiorra's eyes widened before he managed to _Sonido_ away from the kick Yūrei had sent his way. As Ulquiorra reappeared, Yūrei charged him, but the Cuatro Espada sent a **Bala** at his opponent, forcing Yūrei to _Flash Step_ away, and allowing Ulquiorra to _Sonido_ over to his Zanpakūto, picking it up from the ground. After a brief pause, both combatants charged at each other once more, blades singing with the wind. After a brief exchange, until they pulled apart.

"You must realize that defeating me is impossible, Yūrei Yume," Ulquiorra pointed his blade at Yūrei, blood dripping down from it. The Soul Reaper smirked, even as his cheek bled from the small cut.

"Don't be so sure, Cifer," Yūrei countered, his blade dripping towards the ground. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes, glancing at the small cut on his shoulder. In the back, Orihime watched with shock.

" _They're both so fast, I could barely follow them with my eyes,"_ She thought. Clenching her fist, she looked to her crush worryingly. _"Yūrei…"_

"You may be rather skilled, for a human, but you are still just that…" Ulquiorra prepared his sword for another strike, Yūrei entering his stance, using the curved grip to aim his blade at an angle. Suddenly, Ulquiorra launched himself at Yūrei, thrusting his Zanpakūto. "…Human."

Yūrei widened his eyes and barely managed to dodge or deflect the Espada's strikes.

' _Focus,'_ He thought. _'His speed may be greater, but his fighting style is still the same.'_

Yūrei focused his amethyst eyes on Ulquiorra's wrists, watching every movement his eyes could follow.

' _He's adapting,'_ Ulquiorra slightly narrowed his eyes before he increased his speed.

"Tch," Yūrei grit his teeth, as he attempted to dodge Ulquiorra's renewed assault, earning nicks and cuts for the effort. The Soul Reaper narrowed his eyes as he thought of a possibility. _'This is going to hurt.'_

With that thought, Yūrei shifted his body, but seemingly not enough to dodge Ulquiorra's thrust. The Arrancar's Zanpakūto sliced into Yūrei's side. Ulquiorra frowned.

 **{End Catch 22}**

Suddenly, Yūrei smirked, and grabbed Ulquiorra's wrist, and prepared to swing his sword, with purple energy condensing over the twin bone-like blades. Ulquiorra hastily pointed his finger at Yūrei with his free hand, charging an attack of his own.

" **Kanashi Tenshi."**

" **Cero."**

 **BOOOOOM**

The two attacks caused a massive explosion, pushing both Yūrei and Ulquiorra back several meters, with even Orihime's Santen Kesshun struggling to restrain the released energy. As the smoke cleared, Orihime lowered her arms from her face, seeing Yūrei struggle slightly, with blood dripping from his head.

"You've grown stronger," Yūrei frowned at Ulquiorra's voice, as the smoke cleared, revealing the Cuatro Espada. Yūrei saw Ulquiorra's shirt cut open, and his left sleeve torn apart, along with blood now dripping down his arm. "I wonder, is it because of your fights with the others? Or is it your allies, still risking their lives in the desert below this tower."

Ulquiorra's eyes shifted towards Orihime.

"Or is it all…for **her** ,"

 **Twitch**

The slight twitch in Yūrei's hand confirmed it, and Ulquiorra seemingly frowned.

"You must realize, saving her, will not make a difference," He said. "Her body…and her mind… already belong to Lord Aizen."

 **CHOOM**

Ulquiorra's eyes widened, as Yūrei flexed his Spiritual Power, the purple & silver energy emanating from his body.

"That's not your decision to make, Ulquiorra, nor is it Aizen's," Yūrei glared at Ulquiorra, who passively frowned at his opponent.

"The decision was made the moment she stepped within Las Noches," He countered. Immediately, both fighters attacked each other once more. Yūrei deflected another of Ulquiorra's thrusts before he managed to catch the kick Ulquiorra sent to his head. However, he failed to account for the Espada's **Bala**. The force of the attack sent Yūrei flying into a pillar. The Soul Reaper coughed blood as he slid down to the ground.

"[Pant, pant]," Yūrei pushed himself to his legs, glaring at Ulquiorra.

"What makes you keep fighting?" Asked the Espada. "It doesn't matter if you beat me. There are still the other three Espada, as well as Lord Aizen himself. So tell me, what pushes you to go this far?"

"What you think of me doesn't matter, Ulquiorra," Yūrei wiped some of the blood from his lips, before getting back in his stance. "But, I must say I'm surprised."

"Oh?" Ulquiorra entered another one-handed stance, preparing for another bout. "And why is that?"

"When we fought before…" Started Yūrei. "I couldn't read anything in your movements. No emotion, no intent. But this time…"

Yūrei smirked.

"There's something behind your strikes now," He said. "You're enjoying this. That's oddly **human** of you."

 **SMASH**

 **{OST 4 #4; Power to Strive}**

Ulquiorra stabbed his sword into the ground, prompting Yūrei to narrow his eyes, readying a pair of the hollow, bone-like needles in his gauntlets.

"You believe that I'm acting, human?" The Espada narrowed his own eyes at Yūrei. "I see. You believe that **this** is the height of my power. Allow me to…educate you."

 **Bwom**

Ulquiorra suddenly vanished from Yūrei's sight, with the Soul Reapers eyes widening in unrestrained shock. He was barely able to deflect Ulquiorra's downward strike away before he swung the needles in his hand.

" **Shinda-En."**

A pair of skeletal foxes emerged from the needles, covered in silver flames. The foxes charged Ulquiorra, who casually dodged them with a single _Sonido_.

 **BOOM**

The needles hit one of the many pillars, disintegrating it in a fiery explosion.

 **Clang**

Yūrei blocked another of Ulquiorra's strikes. This time, the Espada had appeared behind Yūrei and tried to thrust his blade into the Soul Reapers chest. Yūrei managed to deflect it, but before he could retaliate, Ulquiorra vanished once more. He attempted to strike Yūrei from the side, but Yūrei managed to dodge the attack with a jump. Immediately, Yūrei threw another needle.

" **Shinda-Sora."**

This time, instead of foxes, a flock of skeletal birds, with silver energy emanating from them, emerged from the needles. Ulquiorra cut them apart without much issue; however, he narrowed his eyes as small cuts appeared on his body. They seemed to show up wherever he felt a breeze push against him.

' _I see…'_ Ulquiorra then decided to flex his Spiritual Pressure, blowing Yūrei away, along with the wind currents from the birds. Using the sudden opening, Ulquiorra charged at Yūrei, jumping above him with a strike primed to cut off the Soul Reapers head.

' _Damn!'_ Yūrei moved to deflect the strike, but before he could, something stopped it.

 **Clang**

 **{End Power to Strive}**

Both Yūrei and Ulquiorra looked in shock, as Orihime's Santen Kesshun shattered from the force of Ulquiorra's strike.

"…Orihime…" Yūrei looked at her in shock, as Ulquiorra landed on the ground, a few meters away from him. The Cuatro Espada narrowed his eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Orihime's hands lowered at Ulquiorra's question. Yūrei narrowed his eyes.

"Why bother protecting him? You could have stopped my first strike, and yet-"

 **Shing**

Ulquiorra ducked under Yūrei's swing, using a _Sonido_ to back away.

"Do you ever shut up?" Yūrei glared at Ulquiorra. "I used to think you, and I both were the quiet type."

The Soul Reaper pointed his Zanpakūto at the Espada.

"Stop picking apart every little thing. It makes you seem paranoid," Then, the Soul Reaper smiled at Orihime. "Thanks for the help, Orihime."

Yūrei then looked back to Ulquiorra and entered a different stance.

"But from now on, keep yourself safe," This time, he placed his blade perpendicular to his side, and his feet lined up with one another. "It's going to get a bit, rougher, in here."

"Please, be safe," With that, Orihime hurried over to a corner of the room, away from the fight. Once she was out of range, Yūrei frowned.

"I'll try."

 **{OST 2 #16; Shadows Masquerade}**

Now it was Yūrei's turn to lunge at Ulquiorra, with the Espada going on the defensive. Yūrei managed to bat Ulquiorra's blade aside, following up with a thrust of his blade aimed directly at his head. Ulquiorra jumped away out of Yūrei's range, but, with a smirk, the Soul Reaper used another of his abilities. Suddenly, silver energy filled the opening between the two bone-like blades. Then, with a flick of his wrist, Yūrei's Zanpakūto extended, turning the silver energy into another blade. Ulquiorra's eyes widened in shock as he barely moved his head out of the way, a small cut adorning his cheek. Yūrei narrowed his eyes.

' _All those wounds and my poison still hasn't hampered his movements at all. In that case…'_ Yūrei grabbed another set of needles, this time from one of his belts. _'…Let's try this.'_

" **Shinda-Mizu."**

As Yūrei threw the daggers, a swarm of skeletal piranhas emerged, which Ulquiorra effortlessly sliced into pieces. However, the Espada's eyes narrowed as the bones started to conjure silver water. This process continued until the ball of water had submerged Ulquiorra entirely, with more skeletal piranhas swimming throughout it. Yūrei focused all of his attention on the ball of water. He narrowed his eyes as he saw a green light begin to emerge from inside it.

"Damn," He muttered. He was about to _Flash Step_ away until he sensed Orihime's Spiritual Pressure directly behind him. " **Shit**!"

Immediately, Yūrei threw another of his daggers in Orihime's direction, aiming it at the ground in front of her.

 **{End Shadow's Masquerade}**

" **Shinda-Ishi!"**

Suddenly, a massive skeletal bear paw appeared in front of Orihime, who looked on in shock.

"Yū-"

 **BOOM**

Before she could get a word out, a massive green explosion erupted out of the ball of silver water, engulfing Yūrei, and almost breaking the paw that was protecting Orihime, who had to brace herself even to remain upright. The orange-haired girl looked on in fear.

"Oh, no," Orihime watched as Ulquiorra emerged from the smoke, his clothing wet, but seemingly unharmed. Yūrei followed soon after, but he was in much worse condition.

"[Pant, pant]…Damn," The Soul Reapers clothing was torn apart, with small burns now adorning his lower arms.

"How pointless," Ulquiorra's statement made Yūrei glare at him. "You risked your own life just to protect that girl. Instead, you could've easily dodged the attack. Is she truly so-"

"I told you to shut up," Yūrei pushed himself to his feet. "Enough with the psychiatrist act; I've had enough of those from the orphanage."

Yūrei pointed his blade at Ulquiorra.

 **{OST 1 #20; Storm Center}**

"I protected her because I wanted to, and that's all you need to know," Once he finished talking, silver energy engulfed Yūrei's blade. "So shut up and fight."

 **Warp**

Yūrei _Flash Stepped_ in front of Ulquiorra, in a typical, one-handed fencing stance. Ulquiorra managed to parry the attacks but widened his eyes at the energy emanating from the Zanpakūto. It radiated out, causing multiple cuts to appear on the Espada's body.

' _This again,'_ Ulquiorra frowned. "How, trite."

 **Bwom**

 **Clang**

Yūrei switched Izanami to his left hand, blocking another strike from Ulquiorra's _Sonido_.

"Have you forgotten what happened last time?" Ulquiorra attempted to push against Yūrei's blade, but the Soul Reaper matched him strength for strength. "Even with the raw, impressive power of your Hollowfication, you couldn't kill me. Without your mask on, you will eventually fall to my blade."

"Then I guess I should push it up a notch," Yūrei placed his other hand on the hilt of his Zanpakūto, pushing against Ulquiorra. The Cuatro Espada widened his eyes as he used his other hand to prevent Yūrei from breaking his defences. "Maybe **you've** forgotten, Ulquiorra, but I don't care about the odds. I **will** find a way to beat you."

"You can try, human," Ulquiorra angled his blade, forcing Yūrei to recover from the sudden shift in momentum. The Soul Reaper sidestepped the swift swing of Ulquiorra's Zanpakūto, before retaliating with a swing of his own, that the Espada neatly dodged, jumping up and making another swing.

 **Clang**

This time, instead of using his blade, Yūrei grabbed a needle from his left gauntlet, its size expanding rapidly. Ulquiorra widened his eyes as the needle gained a bar down the middle of the hollow section, stopping his blade in its tracks.

"Don't look so shocked…" Yūrei immediately swung Izanami at Ulquiorra's head, but the Espada neatly dodged the attack. However, the silver energy still engulfing the blade gave Ulquiorra a cut on his cheek. "…I've got more tricks to show you."

 **{End Storm Center}**

 **Rip**

Yūrei's eyes widened in shock at the noise he heard, before he turned back to Orihime, seeing two women attack her.

 **{OST 3 #18; HOLLOWED}**

"Orihime!" Yūrei ran towards his friend, but the black-haired Arrancar saw him.

"Stay back, you, or I'll pluck out her eyes!" She pulled Orihime in close, before putting her hand next to Orihime's eye. Yūrei's eyes glowed with rage as he grabbed a needle.

" **Shinda-"**

 **Bwom**

"Don't drop your guard."

 **SLAM**

"[Gah]!" Yūrei went flying as Ulquiorra landed a kick to his gut, sending the Soul Reaper back several meters. Yūrei rolled himself to lessen the damage before he jumped back up and charged at the girls again. However, Ulquiorra interfered once more, the Espada forcing Yūrei to block a sword swing. "Get out of my way, Cifer!"

"Make me, Yūrei Yume," Replied Ulquiorra, looking at his opponent with a passive, almost disappointed face. "If you want to face someone else, then kill me first."

"Why, you…" Yūrei moved to put his hand over face, purple energy gathering around him. A mask began to form on his face before something stopped him.

 **{End HOLLOWED}**

 **Thom**

"What the hell?" Muttered the Soul Reaper.

 **Thoom**

 **THOOM**

 **SMASH**

Everyone covered his or her faces at the amount of dust that exuded from the massive hole in the floor, before looking on in surprise, shock, or, in Ulquiorra's case, disinterest, at the towering figure rising from it.

' _Is that, who I think it is?'_ Thought Yūrei, as he lowered his arm.

"Hey, Ulquiorra!" The massive Arrancar grinned at his smaller teammate.

"Yammy…" Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at the man. "What are you doing here?"

"Aw, don't be like that. I thought I'd come back you up!" Yammy replied. Ulquiorra frowned.

"You must be joking. I don't need any of **your** help, Yammy," Ulquiorra turned back to Yūrei, who had Orihime in his sights from the corner of his eye, even as he watched Ulquiorra. The Decimo Espada smirked.

"[Heh], you certainly don't look it, Ulquiorra. That Soul Reaper kid looks strong. Let me have a crack at him," Said Yammy. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes.

"No. You know how you get when you fight like **that**. You turn too greedy," As Ulquiorra finished, Yūrei frowned.

' _What does he mean?'_ Yūrei tried to think of the possibilities before a familiar voice called out.

" **Getsuga…"** Yūrei smirked as a Shihakushō wearing teenager jumped into the room, his massive sword covered in blue energy. **"…Tensho!"**

 **BOOM**

Ichigo landed in front of Orihime, the two female Arrancars stumbling back. The attack pushed Yammy back, the Decimo Espada stumbling over his feet. Yūrei relaxed slightly, but the Soul Reaper never dropped his guard.

"Good to see you, Ichigo," Yūrei smiled as Ichigo spoke up.

"Well, I was wondering what was taking you so long, so I thought I'd help out," Ichigo replied.

 **BOOM**

Everyone turned, as Yammy came crashing back, rage filling his features as he looked at Ichigo.

"YOU DAMN BRAT! I AM GONNA KILL YOU!" He yelled. Ichigo just smirked and placed Zangetsu on his shoulder.

"You can try, but…" Ichigo looked over Yammy's shoulder as he continued. "…I didn't come alone."

"Huh?" The Decimo Espada looked behind him and saw what Ichigo was referencing. A white-clad figure jumped in, causing Yūrei to smirk once more.

Uryū fired an arrow at Yammy's shoulder, piercing it, and pushing the Espada back a few steps. As Uryū landed, he frowned.

"All of that force, and I still didn't blow through your arm. You're tough," He said. Both Ichigo and Uryū stood in front of Orihime, as Yammy growled.

"Damn you all, I'll-"

 **Click**

"Huh?" Yammy looked down at the sound, as Uryū pushed up his glasses.

"You should watch where you step," Yammy frowned as the Quincy looked on.

"Wha-"

 **BOOM**

Yūrei covered his face as the ground below Decimo Espada exploded. As the explosion ended, he turned to Uryū.

"Kurotsuchi?" He asked. Uryū nodded.

"Kurotsuchi," He replied. Yūrei sighed.

"That psychopathic nutcase," He muttered. Frowning, Yūrei turned to Ulquiorra. "Ichigo, Uryū. I need you both to stay by Orihime. If my power gets too great, keep her safe."

"You don't have to tell us that, Yūrei. We would've done it anyway," Replied Ichigo. Yūrei chuckled, before addressing Ulquiorra.

"Sorry about that, Ulquiorra," He started. "You said that, without my mask, I would 'fall to your blade,' right?"

"That's correct, and it is nothing more than a fact," Ulquiorra replied, pointing his blade at Yūrei, who smirked in response.

"To be honest, a part of me hoped I would be able to prove you wrong," As he spoke, Yūrei once more placed his hand over his face. "But like Ichigo said, we've been at this for a long time, and I need to help out with the cleanup."

 **Bwoom**

Purple energy began gathering around Yūrei's face until he swiped his hand away. Now, covering his face was a white comedy mask, with purple designs running from the top to the bottom, through his eyes.

 **{OST Diamond Dust Rebellion #27; Breakthrough Even}**

" **Now let's finish this, Ulquiorra,"** Yūrei's echoing voice travelled throughout the room as he charged at the Cuatro Espada, his Zanpakutō covered in purple energy. **"Kanashi Tenshi!"**

Ulquiorra's eyes widened in shock at the sheer speed of Yūrei's attack as he barely managed to bring his Zanpakutō up to deflect the strike. Even with both of his hands, Ulquiorra couldn't contain the massive amount of power Yūrei was exuding, and he narrowed his eyes at the cracks appearing on his Zanpakutō. Jumping out of the way, Ulquiorra pointed his finger at Yūrei, green energy gathering in front of it.

" **Cero."**

 **BOOM**

" **Nice try,"** Yūrei extended his hand and grabbed the **Cero** Ulquiorra fired at him. With a bit of effort, the Soul Reaper crushed the **Cero** into pieces, the energy cracking the floor. Yūrei looked up at Ulquiorra, the smile on his mask almost mocking. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes before he did something unexpected. He ran. Yūrei frowned, his purple and silver eyes narrowing in confusion before he followed Ulquiorra out of the room, and into the skies of Las Noches. **"Where do you think you're going?"**

Ulquiorra didn't respond and just continued his path upwards. Yūrei frowned.

' _ **I may have better manoeuvrability, but he's still faster in pure speed,'**_ He thought. _**'But where the hell is he going?'**_

 **BOOM**

 **{End; Breakthrough Even}**

Yūrei's thoughts were interrupted by Ulquiorra smashing through the sky, and even as he followed the Espada, Yūrei's eyes widened in surprise. Once he reached the roof, he looked around.

"This is above Las Noches' canopy, huh…" He muttered, deactivating his Hollowfication. Then, he looked up to one of the many pillars. "I'm guessing you have a reason for leading me here, Ulquiorra."

"Correct," Ulquiorra stood atop the closest pillar to Yūrei, looking down at the young Soul Reaper. "Under the command of Lord Aizen, two things have been forbidden with the confines of Las Noches. The first, of course, is the Gran Rey Cero, which exists solely for an Espada. As for the second…"

Yūrei narrowed his eyes, already suspecting what was coming.

"…It is the Resurrección of Espada's of the rank 4 or higher. Both contain such immense power, they would destroy Las Noches itself," With that, Ulquiorra pointed his blade in front of him, as Yūrei readied himself. **"Enclose, Murciélago."**

 **BWOOSH**

Yūrei widened his eyes in shock at the black and green energy that exuded from Ulquiorra, looking around as it fell in the form of green rain.

 **{OST Memories of Nobody #5; Eerie Blank}**

As the energy cleared, Yūrei widened his eyes at Ulquiorra's appearance.

The Cuatro Espada now sported a much longer cloak than his typical Arrancar uniform, still primarily white, but there was now a black line going down the middle, through his Hollow hole, all the way up to his collar. Extending from his chest were four more lines in a diagonal pattern. From what Yūrei could see, his hair was now much longer in the back than it was before, and much more wild. Furthermore, his mask had changed, as it now covered the top of his head like a helmet, with two protrusion extending from the front. Additionally, the Espada's fingernails seemed to stretch into his fingers. Finally, Ulquiorra now had a pair of bat wings extending from his back.

"What are you waiting for?" Ulquiorra's voice broke Yūrei out of his observations, as he narrowed his eyes. "Release your Bankai."

Yūrei frowned.

"And what makes you think I have one, Ulquiorra," He asked, spinning his blade into a reverse grip.

"Don't insult my intellect, Yūrei Yume," Ulquiorra countered. "The power you possess has more than tripled since our first encounter in the human world. Such a feat is only possible…with Bankai. Show it to me, and I will show you…the difference between us."

 **{End Eerie Blank}**

Yūrei chuckled, causing Ulquiorra to frown imperceptively.

"Believe me, Ulquiorra, this fight is far from over," As he spoke, Yūrei's Zanpakutō emitted purple & silver energy. The Soul Reaper raised his arm as if he was about to stab himself with his own blade and looked up. "You want my Bankai, right? Then you can have it."

 **CRACK**

Yūrei slammed Izanami into his palm, the bone-like blade shattering on impact. As the pieces flew into the air, they quickly dissolved into silver, mist-like energy. That same energy was released from Yūrei's body, obscuring him completely.

' _I'll have to thank Shūhei for those training lessons,'_ He thought.

 **{OST 1 #1; On the Precipice of Defeat}**

 _ **Soul Society; Squad 9 Barracks, 3 weeks ago**_

" _You want me to train you?" Shūhei asked, frowning at Yūrei, who nodded._

" _That's right," He replied. The Lieutenant frowned._

" _Why? What could I know that no one else could teach you?" He wondered. Yūrei sighed._

" _Your Shikai could help me use my Bankai," Yūrei answered. Shūhei frowned._

" _What do you mean?" He asked. Now it was Yūrei's turn to frown._

" _Let me show you."_

 _ **Las Noches, Present Day**_

As the mist cleared, Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at Yūrei's appearance. His clothing remained the same, but somehow it was repaired from the cuts and tears of their fight below Las Noches. However, along with the gauntlets already adorning his arms, Yūrei now had a set of purple armour along his legs as well, reaching up to his thighs. The greaves also had bone-like additions that ran along its outer edges. From what Ulquiorra could see of Yūrei's back, there were also bones protruding out from the center on the outside of his coat. However, what drew Ulquiorra's eyes were the chains wrapped around Yūrei's waist.

The chains didn't appear to be made of metal, but instead, like everything else, a bone-like substance. Furthermore, they connected to a set of hollow, double-sided, sickle-like blades. However, one side was longer than the other, reaching 60cm long, and angled down, while the shorter end reached 45cm long, and was angled in the opposite direction. The handle of the sickles was about 2 feet long, and along the first half, were more blades. Once again, all of the weapons were made of bone.

Finally, floating behind Yūrei's back, in a circle, were seven bone cages, each with a distinct appearance, and, when Ulquiorra looked at them, he felt different effects from each.

The First, which resembled a lantern with a ball of silver fire within, made his throat parched, and his skin dry.

The Second made him feel as though he had trouble breathing, and when the circular cage passed Yūrei, Ulquiorra could see a slight breeze ruffling the human's clothing. He could also see a bird beak suspended within.

The Third cage was a rectangular box filled with clear silver water that dripped out, and Ulquiorra could just make out a crab claw inside it. When he looked at it, the Espada could almost feel as though the water was surrounding him, as if he were drowning.

The Fourth and Fifth cages had similar sensations of death bearing down on him, along with both being empty. However, the Fourth cage was rather thin and resembled a glass panel. The Fifth was shaped like a diamond made of bone.

The Sixth seemed to be made of reptile bones and was continually dripping an acidic liquid, judging by the sizzling when it made contact with the roof of Las Noches.

Finally, the Seventh cage looked like a single human skull, but it was definitely the most disturbing. It felt as though all life was running from it, and, when he focused on it, Ulquiorra could make out shadowy figures trying to claw their way out through the eyes.

" **Bankai; Izanami no Yomi,"** Yūrei looked up at the Espada. "Let's do this, Ulquiorra."

Yūrei's call made Ulquiorra narrow his eyes.

"Do not drop your guard, Yūrei Yume."

 **Dwoon**

As he spoke, Ulquiorra generated a green javelin. Yūrei smirked in response.

"You better take your own advice."

 **Whir**

With that, the Soul Reaper began spinning the Kusarigama, as he stared down his Hollow opponent. Both fighters prepared themselves, before, in a burst of speed, they vanished. Immediately after, they reappeared in front of each other, sparks flying as their weapons clashed.

 **CLANG**

 **BOOM**

 _ **Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

 **A/N: And that's it for part one. Like I said at the start, it was mostly the same as the fight in the actual episode, because of all the characters involved in this first part. Here are the translations for all the different techniques Yūrei used.**

 **Yoru no Shi; The Dead of Night.**

 **Shinda-En; Dead Flames.**

 **Shinda Sora; Dead Skies.**

 **Shinda Mizu; Dead Waters.**

 **Shinda Ishi; Dead Stones.**

 **Izanami no Yomi; Izanami of the Underworld.**


	3. Part 2

**A/N: Here is part 2 of my most anticipated fight. I hope I made it seem as though these two are real equals. Ulquiorra may seem** _ **slightly**_ **out of character here, as I believe that no one gets to the level of power that he does without enjoying a challenge in some way, but don't worry, there's not going to be any full-on smiles or anything like that, just subtle twitches here and there. I would also like to include that I have changed Yūrei's voice actor. It is now Tony Oliver instead of Troy Baker.**

 _ **Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

 _ **Hollow & Human, Part 2**_

 **{OST Diamond Dust Rebellion #25; Showing Off}**

 **Whir**

Yūrei swung one of Izanami's Kusarigama at Ulquiorra's head, but the Espada easily dodged the attack, before using his wings to fly at Yūrei with a **Luz de Luna** primed to stab the Human through his heart. Yūrei sidestepped the thrust, and pulled his arm down, the chain in his hand going taut.

 **Bwom**

Suddenly, Ulquiorra dodged another Kusarigama that would have taken his head off in another instant. Generating a **Luz de Luna** , Ulquiorra slashed at Yūrei's gut. However, the Soul Reaper back-stepped from the attack, receiving nothing more than a small cut. Yūrei smirked as he fell back, letting go of the chains, and pointing one of his hands at Ulquiorra.

" **Hadō #33, Sōkatsui!"**

A blue wave of energy burst from Yūrei's hand, which seemed to hit Ulquiorra in the wing, with smoke, and dust, obscuring Yūrei's vision of the Espada. Before the smoke could clear, Yūrei heard Ulquiorra speak up.

" **Ducha de Luna."**

 **Dwoon**

Suddenly, a swarm of small green javelins shot out from the smoke, in numbers that covered Yūrei's vision.

"Damn," He muttered, grabbing onto the chains. Swinging the sickles in the air, Yūrei shattered almost all of the javelins, using subtle dodges to avoid the ones that slipped past before he widened his eyes as Ulquiorra flew at him, slashing a **Luz de Luna** down at the Human. Yūrei just managed to grab onto the sickles themselves, before he blocked the swing.

 **Clang**

Yūrei pushed against the green javelin, his two sickles sparking as they ground against it. Ulquiorra mirrored him, using both hands in an attempt to break Yūrei's defences. However, even with his enhanced strength, the Espada wasn't able to make any genuine headway.

' _How is he this powerful?'_ Ulquiorra wondered as he placed his hands to better leverage his javelin against the Human. _'My released state is strong enough to break through Nnoitra's_ Hierro _like it was paper, so why-'_

"You're wondering why I'm still strong enough to stop you, aren't you?" Yūrei's voice broke Ulquiorra out of his thoughts, as he looked at Yūrei's pleased smile. "I told you this fight was far from over, Ulquiorra. I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve."

 **Grind**

Ulquiorra widened his eyes as Yūrei pushed against him, both fighters straining to keep their ground. Frowning, Ulquiorra suddenly sidestepped, forcing Yūrei to overextend himself.

"[Tch]," Recovering quickly, Yūrei immediately spun around, launching a sickle at Ulquiorra's chest.

 **Bwom**

However, Ulquiorra vanished, causing Yūrei to sport his own frown as he looked up. Only to see Ulquiorra floating in the sky.

 **{End Showing Off}**

"You may be powerful, Yūrei Yume, but you have yet to see the full extent of my own abilities," As he spoke, Ulquiorra pointed his finger at Yūrei, who narrowed his eyes. "Allow me to show you one of them. This is the ultimate **Cero** that an Espada can wield only, in their Resurreción."

By the end, black and green energy began to compress in front of Ulquiorra's finger.

" **Cero Oscuras."**

 **CHOOM**

Suddenly, an enormous amount of energy erupted from in front of Ulquiorra, heading straight for Yūrei. The Human frowned before he began spinning one of his chains.

" **Sosogu…"** The hollow blade began to fill with purple and silver energy until Yūrei swung his arm in front of him **"…Tsukuyomi!"**

 **DWOON**

Ulquiorra looked on in shock, as Yūrei's attack repelled his **Cero Oscuras**. He was even forced to cover himself with his wings to resist the blowback from the two attacks. As the dust cleared, Ulquiorra saw Yūrei had slammed one of his sickles into the roof to avoid the same thing.

 **{OST Fade to Black #5; Guitar Test A Capella}**

' _What is this?'_ Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes as he looked down at Yūrei, who stared him down. _'He was able to easily deflect my_ _ **Cero Oscuras**_ _, so why am I…'_

"Don't get distracted, Cifer," Ulquiorra frowned down at Yūrei, seeing the Soul Reaper retrieve his sickle.

 **Whir**

Yūrei then spun his chains once more, as his eyes glowed with silver energy.

"I want to milk this fight for all it's worth," He smirked. Ulquiorra's frown deepened.

' _I see.'_

 **Twitch**

' _This is what Grimmjow must have felt,'_ Ulquiorra's face twitched slightly, something Yūrei seemed to notice, as his smirk turned more pleased. "Then allow me to, indulge you, Yūrei Yume."

 **Bwoom**

Ulquiorra suddenly appeared behind Yūrei, a javelin primed to stab through his heart.

 **Clang**

Yūrei just managed to block the strike with one of his sickles and swung the other at Ulquiorra's head. Ulquiorra moved his head to the side, the sickle just grazing his cheek. Suddenly, Yūrei saw one of Ulquiorra's wings slashing at his own head. Similarly, Yūrei ducked down below the appendage, simultaneously pulling his arm back, the chain going taut, as the sickle sang in the air.

 **Bwoom**

Ulquiorra immediately used _Sonido_ to move out of the way. However, before the Espada could react, Yūrei launched another attack.

" **Moeru!"**

 **BWOOM**

A wave of silver flames erupted from Yūrei's sickle, with Ulquiorra widening his eyes. Flapping his wings, Ulquiorra flew into the air, dodging the attack, and threw his **Luz de Luna** at Yūrei. The Soul Reaper reacted by launching his sickle at the javelin, while the birdcage behind him glowed.

" **Chissoku Suru."**

As soon as the glowing sickle made contact, it cut clean through the spear and continued towards Ulquiorra. The Espada narrowed his eyes as he batted the weapon away with another javelin.

 **Woosh**

Ulquiorra looked back, as Yūrei _Flash Stepped_ behind him, the Human's arm primed for a punch.

" **Chūkū Kotsu."**

 **SLAM**

A purple, ethereal, skeletal limb, bigger than Yūrei's own arm, emerged above it as he swung at Ulquiorra. In response, the Arrancar raised one of his wings to block the attack. The force of the attack sent Ulquiorra flying down into the canopy, sliding against it almost to the edge.

 **CRACK**

The force of Ulquiorra's landing broke the canopy itself, causing Ulquiorra to widen his eyes in surprise before he looked up at Yūrei. The Soul Reaper was descending on the Espada, this time with two of his **Chūkū Kotsu** ready to slam into him.

 **{End Guitar Test A-Capella}**

 _ **Throne Room**_

"What do you think is happening up there?" Asked Ichigo, as the trio stood next to the opening Yūrei and Ulquiorra made when they left.

"I don't know, but judging by the tremors we can feel, it's intense," Replied Uryū. Orihime simply clutched her hands to her chest as she looked up at the hole in the sky worriedly.

' _Yūrei…please be safe.'_

 **KOOM**

The group looked further out, as the sounds of fighting grew more intense.

 **BOOOM**

Suddenly, an entire section of the outer wall crumbled away, with a gust of wind reaching even the three students.

 **{Diamond Dust Rebellion OST #26; Invasion}**

"Damn…I can feel their power from here!" Uryū lowered his arm as the wind pressure settled down.

"Same here. But…" Ichigo flinched at the raw power the two combatants were exuding. "…I can't tell who has the advantage."

"Oh, no…Yūrei…" Orihime looked out in worry as the shockwaves continued.

 _ **Yūrei & Ulquiorra**_

 **SPARK**

Yūrei's smile was almost feral now, and even Ulquiorra had a slight twitch in his face. The two ground their weapons together before falling back. The two squared off once more, before Yūrei called out, his sickle glowing with silver energy.

" **Korosu, Kusanagi!"**

 **Shing**

Nine purple arcs appeared where Yūrei swung his sickle before they all flew at Ulquiorra. The Arrancar narrowed his eyes as he readied a lance.

" **Ducha de Luna."**

As he threw it, the lance split into dozens of small green daggers, dispersing Yūrei's **Korosu**. Yūrei narrowed his eyes before he charged at Ulquiorra once more.

' _I need to up the intensity,'_ Yūrei realized. _'I didn't want to use one this early in the fight, but_ _ **Satsujin**_ _isn't ready yet, so I guess I don't have a choice.'_

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes as the lantern cage behind Yūrei glowed once more, and, still remaining in the circle, floated in front of Yūrei.

' _What is he up to…'_ Ulquiorra wondered. Yūrei then swung his sickle down, slicing the cage in half. Ulquiorra widened his eyes.

" **Moeru, Amaterasu!"**

" **[SCREAM]!"**

Ulquiorra looked up in shock as a massive, skeletal woman clad in purple robes, with long silver hair, and carrying a bone lantern, emerged from the cage Yūrei had destroyed. The woman, most likely Amaterasu, swung the arm holding the lamp, and Ulquiorra immediately flew as far away as he could.

 **BWOOOM**

A veritable sea of flames emerged from the lamp that could be seen even from the Throne Room. Even with his immense speed, Ulquiorra couldn't get away fast enough. The Espada was forced to use his wings as a shield, taking the full force of the flames.

"[Guh]…" Ulquiorra gritted his teeth as he tried to resist the attack. Unfortunately for the Espada, the flames were too hot, and his outer wing was getting severely burned. ' _Damn him…'_

 **Bwoom**

Ulquiorra used _Sonido_ to successfully get out of the path of the flames, panting as he did so. The Arrancar then looked to his wing, seeing that the fires were still burning.

"Those flames will burn as long as I want," Yūrei explained, seeing Ulquiorra's look. "They belong to the goddess of the sun. So long as she exists, they'll burn until you've turned into nothing but ash."

 **{End Invasion}**

 **SLASH**

Yūrei widened his eyes, as Ulquiorra cut his wing off, the Espada not breaking eye contact with the Soul Reaper. As his severed appendage fell to the ground, Ulquiorra glared at Yūrei.

"Then I will just have to sever the flames before they kill me, won't I?"

 **Bzzz**

Suddenly, Ulquiorra's wing regrew from his back, as if nothing had happened. Yūrei narrowed his eyes as he prepared for another bout. Neither hunter paid any attention to the fight going on in the distance. Instead, they used all of their focus to ready themselves for the next round.

' _He can heal himself, just like Nnoitra,'_ Realized Yūrei. _'I don't know if it's limited to just his wings, but either way, I need to finish this quickly, even with_ _ **Satsujin**_ _working overtime.'_

Ulquiorra aimed his palm at Yūrei as the Soul Reaper braced himself against the sand.

' _Now, what is he doing?'_ Thought Yūrei. Ulquiorra answered that with three words.

 **{OST Memories of Nobody #6; Into the Storm}**

" **Camara de Eco."**

 **BWANG**

"[Gah]!" A wave of sound erupted from Ulquiorra's hand, the force of which sent Yūrei to his knees as he recoiled. _'I can…barely focus. The sound is…destabilizing my balance.'_

' _He's wide open,'_ Thought Ulquiorra. The Espada charged at Yūrei, charging another **Luz de Luna** while simultaneously keeping his **Camara de Eco** active. Once he was close enough, Ulquiorra swung the lance down, ready to impale Yūrei through the head. _'It's over.'_

 **SHOOM**

Ulquiorra widened his eyes in complete and utter shock, as his spear moved **through** Yūrei as the Soul Reaper dodged and countered. Swinging one of his arms, Yūrei slammed a **Chūkū Kotsu** into Ulquiorra's arm.

 **CRACK**

Ulquiorra flinched as he was sent flying back. The Espada had to use his wings to regain his balance. However, even as he did, Ulquiorra looked down at his arm, only to see it moving limply with the breeze.

 **{End Into the Storm}**

' _Damn…'_ Ulquiorra looked back at Yūrei, who stood up himself, spinning one of his sickles as he did so. "How did my spear move through you? My attack was head-on, and my **Camara** was upsetting your timing."

"It's called **Chūkū Shikō** ," Yūrei replied. "My Zanpakutō controls death, so it only makes sense that I can become a ghost."

"I see…" Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at the explanation. Before anything else happened, however, Yūrei pointed one of his sickles at Ulquiorra.

"Normally, I don't tell people what my techniques can do. But I'm having fun with this, and admittedly, I do respect you," Yūrei chuckled. "Although that is rather weird, considering you were going to pluck out my girlfriend's eye."

"…Is that right?" Ulquiorra leaned down, his hair obscuring his eyes.

 **CHOOM**

 **{OST 3 #1; La Distancia Para Un Duelo}**

Yūrei braced himself, as Ulquiorra's Spiritual Pressure exploded out of the Espada's body.

"I'll show why it's a mistake then, Yūrei Yume."

 **Bwoom**

 **Shing**

Yūrei ducked under Ulquiorra's sudden slash with his **Luz de Luna** , and, thinking quickly, responded with a _Flash Step_ , appearing above Ulquiorra with a sickle primed to slice the Espada clean in two. Ulquiorra jumped out of the way, simultaneously angling himself to throw his spear at Yūrei.

 **Whir**

Pulling on his chain, Yūrei deflected the spear away and swung his arm in a downward motion. The sickle flew through the air, even as the silver pool filled cage glowed behind him.

" **Oboreru."**

 **Bwoosh**

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed as a large pool of water formed behind Yūrei's sickle. He deflected the sickle away with his mobile arm but widened his eyes when the pool didn't disperse, but instead, dropped down on him. Before he was washed away, Ulquiorra managed to _Sonido_ out of the way and out of Las Noches. The strange mixture of the sunlight within the canopy with the eternal night of Hueco Mundo created a very haunting effect on the area. Yūrei narrowed his eyes and telekinetically moved the cages to spin around him.

' _Time to test his regeneration,'_ With that thought, Yūrei lunged at Ulquiorra, holding both of his sickles in his hands. Swinging his right arm down, Yūrei forced Ulquiorra to block the first strike before he immediately aimed his left sickle at Ulquiorra's limp arm. Ulquiorra frowned, instantly understanding that his game was up. He then quickly healed his right arm and, creating a **Luz de Luna** , used it to block Yūrei's strike. Yūrei frowned himself before he jumped over Ulquiorra's head and landed behind the Espada.

 **Ching**

Yūrei yanked on the chains, pulling them back and forcing Ulquiorra to brace himself against the sudden force.

' _He can regenerate from his wounds almost instantly, that must be why my poison isn't affecting him,'_ Thought Yūrei. He then tightened his grip on the chains, pulling them back with more force.

 **Grind**

 **Clang**

Ulquiorra managed to shove the sickles above him before immediately turning around and pointing his fingers at Yūrei.

" **Ceros Gemelos Oscuros."**

 **BOOOOM**

Yūrei widened his eyes before, on instinct, he moved the glass pane shaped cage and cut it in two.

" **Taeru, Gozu!"**

Out of the cage emerged an enormous skeletal golem, wielding a massive, skull-shaped shield on his left arm. Gozu slammed the guard into the sand as the sea of black and green energy hit it.

"…[Guh]…" Yūrei struggled to hold back the energy as he frowned. _'Damn.'_

 **Bwoom**

Placing his hand over his face, Yūrei summoned his Hollowfication. Suddenly, the force bearing down on **Gozu's** shield lessened, but Yūrei was still amazed at just how…powerful…it was.

' _ **All of that, just from combining two Cero Oscuras'?'**_ Thought the Soul Reaper. As the energy dissipated, Yūrei narrowed his eyes. _'_ _ **He's already forced me to use two of my cages, and I still don't know just how many abilities he still has hiding up his sleeve.'**_

 **{End La Distancia Para Un Duelo}**

 **Gozu** disintegrated as well, the skeletal giant crumbling to dust as the ability ended. As it did, Yūrei was finally able to spy Ulquiorra standing several meters away, not looking much worse for wear, and his emotionless face still in place. The Espada frowned as he saw Yūrei without a scratch.

' _His Hollowfication is even more powerful now,'_ Thought Ulquiorra. _'I'll need to amplify my attacks even further to overcome it, …but that form puts quite a lot of strain on my body.'_

Ulquiorra then looked behind Yūrei and noticed that now, in place of the Seven Cages there were initially, two were missing.

' _Whenever he summons one of those, creatures, he must sacrifice a cage to access its power. That means he still has 5 more abilities available to use. In that case…'_

"…No choice, it seems…" Muttered Ulquiorra. "… **Eco Vacío**."

 **{OST 3 #6; Fiesta de Guerra}**

 **CHOOM**

Yūrei's eyes widened as a massive cloud of black and green energy erupted out of Ulquiorra's body. As it dissipated, Yūrei entered his stance, spinning his chains, and narrowed his eyes at Ulquiorra's appearance.

Not much had changed, but the Espada's body now seemed to shimmer in and out of existence, with a green hue surrounding him. Furthermore, Ulquiorra's eyes, along with his tear markings, now glowed green.

"You should feel proud, Yūrei Yume," Said Ulquiorra. "I have only ever shown this power to Lord Aizen himself.

" **I'm flattered,"** Yūrei replied. He then immediately threw his sickle at Ulquiorra, aiming directly for his chest.

 **Shoom**

Yūrei widened his eyes as, just like his own **Chūkū Shikō** , the sickle moved through Ulquiorra as if he wasn't even there. Before Yūrei could adequately articulate what had just happened, Ulquiorra vanished.

 **Bwom**

Turning, Yūrei barely managed to block the subsequent kick that Ulquiorra swung at him.

 **Bwang**

Suddenly, Yūrei was sent flying as a concussive force erupted out of Ulquiorra's fist.

' _ **What the hell!?'**_ Yūrei tried to recover from the surprising force behind the Espada's strike, swinging one of his sickles down into the sand to gain better leverage. Before he could, however, Ulquiorra appeared above him another lance ready to kill the Human. Before the Espada could kill him, Yūrei managed to bring up his arm, the gauntlet deflecting the attack just enough to avoid a fatal blow. Despite that, the lance suddenly exploded with a sonic boom, pushing Yūrei even further away, and crashing down into the sand. _**'How did he get so powerful all of a sudden? My attacks are just phasing through him as if he isn't there, and his attacks are all followed by a sonic-'**_

Yūrei's eyes widened as he came to the realization.

' _ **He's turned his own body into sound waves!'**_

 **KRACK**

Yūrei just managed to bring up his sickles to block the downward swing of Ulquiorra's lance. Thankfully, this one didn't explode, causing Yūrei to narrow his eyes. The two fighters were now caught in a deadlock, each one trying, and failing, to overpower the other.

"You seem confused, Yūrei Yume," Said Ulquiorra. "Did you really believe that you were the only one to be capable of enhancing your abilities?"

" **Heh, says the man who hates being called human-like,"** Countered Yūrei. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes as his hands glowed.

" **Cero Oscuras."**

" **Tsukuyomi!"**

 **{End Fiesta de Guerra}**

 _ **Throne Room**_

 **BOOOOM**

Orihime clutched her hand as she saw the veritable ocean of purple and black energy almost demolish the walls of Las Noches.

"Yūrei's in his Hollowfication. That's the only reason his Spiritual Pressure would feel like…this," Ichigo frowned as he watched the fight between Yūrei and Ulquiorra rage on in the distance.

"I can't believe how strong they are…" Muttered Uryū. "Every time Yūrei brings out a new power, that Arrancar is somehow able to match him. At this rate-"

"Yūrei will be safe."

Both students looked at Orihime, as she looked out at the sand and dust left in the wake of the fight.

"He promised that he would be, and we all know he doesn't back down from a promise," Despite her words, Orihime's friends could see her hands shaking in fear at the prospect of what it would mean if Yūrei lost this fight. Ichigo put his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort one of his oldest friends.

 _ **Yūrei & Ulquiorra**_

"I must admit, you are far stronger than I had believed, Yūrei Yume," Ulquiorra stared at Yūrei as the dust began to clear. Blood dripped from the Espada's severed arm, but Ulquiorra ignored it.

" **Oh, screw you, Cifer,"** Yūrei glared at Ulquiorra, his eyes narrowed through the large crack of his mask. _**'He lost his arm…I thought that Eco Vacio of his made him intangible.'**_

 **Bwang**

Ulquiorra's lost arm was soon regenerated as quickly as it had been severed, as the Espada flexed it, testing the regrown muscles. Following suit, Yūrei waved his hand over his face, restructuring the broken pieces of his mask.

"Do you honestly believe that you can keep fighting like this?" Asked the Espada. "My greatest strength is my ability to regenerate almost any part of my body. Not even your poison can affect me for very long. By contrast, you-"

" **How many times will I have to tell you to shut up?"**

 **CHOOM**

 **{OST Diamond Dust Rebellion #8; Guitar III}**

Flaring his Spiritual Pressure, Yūrei gripped the handles of his sickles tighter, prompting Ulquiorra to conjure another **Luz de Luna**.

" **You wouldn't be able to understand my reasons anyway, Ulquiorra."**

' _Heartless weirdo.'_

Yūrei's eye twitched at the memory, before dropping the sickles into the sand. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes in suspicion, entering a combat stance as he prepared for whatever Yūrei had planned.

 **Whir**

The Espada was then forced to look on in shock as the chains around the Human's waist suddenly pulled away from him.It wasn't long before some sort of silver liquid began to exude from the weapon as it straightened out. By the end of this process, Yūrei's sickles had transformed into a large staff with the sickles on either end. It was just under 6ft long, splitting the sand as Yūrei spun it in his hand.

" **Now, let me show you how** _ **I**_ **handle staves."**

 **Dash**

Ulquiorra just managed to duck under the thrust Yūrei had sent at his head, countering with a lunge of his own. However, the Soul Reaper skillfully maneuvered his staff to deflect the attack. Ulquiorra then aimed his free hand at Yūrei's exposed chest.

" **Bala."**

 **BOOM**

" **[GAH]!"** Yūrei was sent flying back until he was able to throw his staff behind him into the sand, slamming into it and gaining enough traction to slow himself down. Looking up, Yūrei saw as Ulquiorra flew towards him with incredible speed. Narrowing his eyes, the Soul Reaper levitated his birdcage in front of him and crushed it in his hand. **"Chissoku Suru, Fujin!"**

" **[SCREECH]!"**

Ulquiorra was forced to brace himself midflight, as an enormous bird-like skeleton came charging out of the cage directly towards him. Placing both of his hands on his lance, the Espada extended the weapon until it was long enough to stab into the top and bottom of the bird's mouth, keeping it from biting down on him. Despite this, the skeletal avian continued flying, even as Ulquiorra launched a small series of **Bala's** into it. Seeing the cracks forming throughout the skeleton, Ulquiorra kept up his barrage, until, soon enough, the bird shattered into pieces. Unfortunately for the Arrancar, he couldn't appreciate his success, as Yūrei charged at him. Angling his **Luz de Luna** to better block Yūrei's strike, Ulquiorra ground his weapon against Yūrei's staff, sparks flying between the two. Neither noticed their destination until it was too late.

 **SMASH**

 **BOOM**

The two fighters slammed into the canopy of Las Noches, creating a large crevice until Ulquiorra kicked Yūrei into the air. Before he could fly too far away, Yūrei grabbed Ulquiorra's collar and used all of his strength to throw the Espada into one of the pillars rising from the canopy. The smoke and dust covered the area until the speed of the Human and the Hollow created shockwaves that scattered the wind. Meeting in the centre of the pillars, the two glared at each other, their strength perfectly equal.

 **{End Guitar III}**

' _ **My Hollowfication is nearing its limit. I need to end this quickly,'**_ Yūrei then angled himself to send Ulquiorra flying past him, before he moved the water-filled cage. **"Oboreru, Suijin!"**

 **BWOOSH**

" **[RRROOOAAARRR]"**

Ulquiorra widened his eyes once more as another enormous creature emerged from Yūrei's cages. This time, it was a giant Kraken, the skeleton filled with silver water that erupted from it as it swung its arm down at Ulquiorra. The Espada _Sonidoed_ out of the way, barely able to evade the ocean of water that emerged from the strike.

' _He still has three more cages left, and I'm running out of energy to use my_ _ **Eco Vacio**_ _,'_ Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes as he flew out of the way of another swing. _'…Will I have to resort to…'_

 **Woosh**

" **Tsukuyomi!"**

"Damn."

 **BOOM**

Ulquiorra just managed to focus all of his intangibility on allowing the enormous energy wave to pass through him, grabbing Yūrei by the throat. Preparing to run a spear through his opponent, Ulquiorra almost didn't notice the Kraken's arm swinging down on the both of them.

" **Chūkū Shikō."**

 **Warp**

 **SLAM**

Yūrei looked down as the massive palm phased through his body, slamming Ulquiorra into the ground. Dispelling his Hollowfication, the Human lowered himself to the ground, keeping his eyes trained on the crater as his Kraken charged in and began to fill it with water. Landing on the ground, Yūrei turned his staff back into the pair of sickles. Panting, he fell to his knees.

' _I don't know how long I can keep this up. I've never fought someone this strong before,'_ Yūrei looked at the steam rising from the crater as his eyes returned to their usual colour. _'_ _ **Suijin**_ _is one of the strongest attacks I have, so the water should keep him from-'_

 **CHOOOOM**

 **{Bleach OST; Revelation}**

Yūrei's eyes shot open at the sheer… **power** …released from the crater, watching as Ulquiorra walked out, unharmed, but…changed.

" **Ressurecíon, Segunda Etapa,"** Ulquiorra's cloak was gone, revealing his bare skin with his Hollow Hole enlargened and relocated to the centre of his chest. Some kind of black liquid seemed to drip from it, leading to the black fur at his waist. The Quatro Espada also grew a tail, and both his hands and feet were clawed. "You are the first person to push me into revealing this ability. I have not even shown it to Lord Aizen."

Yūrei pushed himself to his feet, trying to fight through the raw presence Ulquiorra was exuding. Said Espada narrowed his eyes.

"Even after feeling my power, you are still willing to face me? Why?" Ulquiorra calmly ended his walk as he exited the crater, staring down Yūrei with little interest.

"I've told you over and over, Ulquiorra, I'm going to find a way to beat you, no matter what you throw at me," Despite his words, Yūrei's hands were trembling softly, prompting him to grip the sickles tighter. Ulquiorra noticed it as well.

"Even you must realize the magnitude of my power. I am the sole Arrancar to have achieved this Second Stage of the Ressurecíon. Your Bankai is impressive, but you have lost, Yūrei Yume," The Espada's tail lazily moved around behind him as Yūrei heightened his guard. Ulquiorra looked at his eyes and noticed something. _'He can still feel fear, that much is evident, and yet his eyes are not those of a being that has given up. Does he truly believe that he can win? Just what is pushing him like this?'_

Ulquiorra closed his eyes.

"Fine then. I will show you true despair, even if I have to carve the sensation into your corpse," As he spoke, Ulquiorra prepared to charge at Yūrei, who raised his senses as high as they could go.

 **{End Revelation}**

 **{Bleach OST 2 #14; Citadel of the Bount}**

 **Shing**

As soon as Ulquiorra moved, Yūrei threw one of his sickles at the Espada before he vanished. Widening his eyes, Yūrei saw a large black wing beside him. He was able to turn his head right before the Soul Reaper felt a pressure push against him. After a single blink, Yūrei noticed that he was now flying through the air until he slammed into the wall of one of the remaining pillars. Yūrei's eyes were wide as his body finally registered something that sent a chill down his spine.

 **Bwoom**

' _He moved faster than my brain…could even…keep up…'_ Yūrei coughed up blood as the force of Ulquiorra's attack finally caught up with his body, his hands shaking as he tried to process what he was up against.

"…Well?" Looking up, Yūrei saw Ulquiorra standing several meters away. "Aren't you going to attack?"

Grinding his teeth, Yūrei pulled the sickles back into his hands. Gripping them tightly, Yūrei charged at the Espada and jumped into the air, swinging his arm down.

" **Tsukuyomi!"**

 **BOOM**

As the energy erupted from Yūrei's sickles, Ulquiorra looked on, disinterested, before flexing his wings.

"…Have it your way…"

 **KOOM**

 _ **Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

 **A/N: And that is Part Two, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you guys enjoyed the new abilities that I gave Ulquiorra, as well as Yūrei's Bankai. I took a large amount of inspiration from Japanese Mythology for the different cages. I know that the ending was a bit surprising, but I just couldn't see any scenario in which Yūrei competes with the Segunda Etapa without making it feel cheap, which is what I didn't like about the first fight. I hope I got across the speed and power Ulquiorra has in that form fairly well. I am incredibly sorry that this took so long to release, but this fight was a lot harder to write due to the requirement for more original content. Just like the last chapter, translations are below.**

 **Ducha de Luna: Moon Shower.**

 **Sosogu, Tsukuyomi: Gaze Down, Tsukuyomi.**

 **Moeru: Burn.**

 **Chissoku Suru: Suffocate.**

 **Chūkū Kotsu: Hollow Bones.**

 **Moeru, Amaterasu: Burn, Amaterasu.**

 **Camara de Eco: Echo Chamber.**

 **Chūkū Shikō: Hollow Thoughts.**

 **Oboreru: Drown.**

 **Ceros Gemelos Oscuros: Twin Dark Zeros.**

 **Taeru, Gozu: Endure, Gozu.**

 **Eco Vacío: Empty Echo.**

 **Chissoku Suru, Fujin: Suffocate, Fujin.**

 **Oboreru, Suijin: Drown, Suijin.**


End file.
